


I see London, I see France

by viennasunrise (kteaanne)



Series: Earth-5486 [3]
Category: Marvel 3490, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Darcy Lewis, Darcy Lewis-centric, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, France (Country), Humor, Paris (City), Weekend trip, first I love you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 13:25:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4748072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kteaanne/pseuds/viennasunrise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor's appearance in New Mexico brought them together. It was his brother's attempt at destroying New York that made Darcy realize how much she needed Clint in her life. Now they have a chance at a normal weekend without the prying eyes of Clint's team members or the threat of a global disaster hanging over their heads.<br/>--<br/>Or a story in which Clint and Darcy take a weekend trip to Paris and the obvious log line to the title of this fic is "I see Hawkeye's Underpants"</p>
            </blockquote>





	I see London, I see France

Clint’s laugh on the other end of the line lightened what had already been a fairly good day, even by Darcy’s standards.

“You promised Paris, mister. I’m not backing down."

“You’ve been in Europe for months. You seriously want to spend more time there?”

“Correction. I have been in London for months. I want to go to Paris!”

“Pouting isn’t going to get you what you want. But I’m prepared to—“ Clint’s voice cut off. “Hold on just a sec. WHAT!… No, that’s not it at all. Stark! Shut the hell up!” the phone crinkled like Clint was trying to wrestle it out of someones hands and then Darcy heard a completely different voice on the other end.

“Darcy, dearest,” a taunting voice called through the phone, “Clint is keeping you from me and I don’t like it.”

“Don’t call me ‘dearest, Stark. You sound like some Mid-atlantic trophy wife.”

“I’m wounded!” Stark responded before yelling “OUCH! Come here you fu—“ through the phone. Darcy heard more crinkling and plenty of yelling before Clint managed to get back on.

“Sorry, Darce. Stark’s being a brat today. Don’t worry though, I think I hit her hard enough that she'll leave me about about you now.” Darcy could hear Stark yelling from the background “Not likely!” before Clint threatened to stick arrows in places the sun doesn’t shine.

“Pretty sure she's just going to sick Steve on you. Anyway, your bromance with Stark aside, can we get back to Paris?”

Clint sighed, “I don’t know if I can get away for that long. I could probably manage a weekend if you met me there. Things are nuts now that the dust following that lovely alien invasion has settled.”

“I’ll take what I can get. I can be there as soon as tomorrow. Think you could get away that fast?”

“I don’t see why not. Fury’s up to his eyeball in paperwork and Coulson isn’t around anymore so I can probably fall through the cracks in a few hours. The only one that might notice is Nat and she’s got enough going on that she’ll wait to beat my ass until I get home.”

“Those words are music to my ears. There’s a flight leaving in two hours from JFK. Think you can make it?”

“Psh. I am nothing if not punctual. Plus it’s only a weekend, I don’t really need to pack much.”

“Fair point. Go get your butt on a plane, Mister. I’ll meet you at the airport.”

“You can’t see me but I’m winking. See you in Paris.”

* * *

 Darcy flew into action, throwing everything haphazardly into a backpack she stole from Jane. She felt like an 18 year old backpacking through Europe which, in reality, made the whole thing that much more fun. Jane was out at a dinner with a research fellow from the university so she scrawled a short note on the back of a napkin. Clint was probably at the airport at this point, leaving her about eight hours to get to Paris, which was about twice as long as it would take her to get there if she took the Chunnel.

Exasperated at how long it was going to take Clint, she threw herself down on the couch but she couldn’t sit still. After about two minutes of constant fidgeting, she decided a few hours in Paris without Clint wouldn’t be the worst thing and set off for the train station.

Taking a train underneath the ocean was an experience Darcy wouldn’t soon forget but nothing compared to what her first ten minutes in Paris were like. She stepped in a puddle and soaked both her shoes, got lost in the Metro station, and dropped several Euro on the platform just as the train arrived; Darcy got to watch it flutter underneath the train and out of sight.

After fighting the impulse to scream, Darcy successfully made it to the hotel, checked in, and dropped her backpack off before rushing backdown to make it to the airport to meet Clint. Deciding the Metro was a lost cause she called a cab and made it to the airport just as Clint’s plane landed. After checking to make sure Clint’s flight landed on time, she camped out at a spot near the international arrivals area and started people watching. There were couples who clearly hadn’t seen each other for a while, families that were reuniting, and solo travelers who looked lost the minute they walked through the doors.

The sign above the doors announced the newest arrivals, Clint’s plane being one of them, and Darcy pulled a small sign out of her pocket. She held it up, her hurried scrawl made it a little juvenile looking, but it clearly said “Bird Man” in purple ink. A few minutes of waiting later, Clint appeared, a small bag slung over his shoulder. He had clearly fallen asleep on the plane and had done nothing to fix is hair. The way it stuck up in the back reminded Darcy of a toddler who just woke up from a nap. She caught his eye and laughed at the look that crossed his face when he saw her sign. He flapped his arms stupidly and yelled out “caw!” at the top of his lungs. Darcy doubled over in laugher, unable to catch her breath.

Clint strode over and slapped Darcy on the back, waiting for her eventual return to sanity.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, a mischievous grin crossing his face.

“Nothing,” she managed through a giggle, “there was just this total idiot over there making a scene.” She struggled to keep it together but lost it when Clint squawked again. She grabbed onto his arm for support, burying her face in his shoulder. He planted a kiss on her temple and wrapped his arm around her waist. Together they walked out of the airport and into the bustle of the city.

* * *

 She took Clint back to the hotel to drop his stuff off and wash the plane off him. He scoffed when she threatened to take a nap while he showered and nearly pulled her into the shower fully clothed. She relented and they ended up using much more water than they should have. By the time they shut the water off, the mirror and window were fogged up enough that water had started running down them.

They found a small corner bistro and had lunch, taking their time and generally enjoying being together; New York and London were too far away from each other.

“And then,” Clint chocked out, trying not to laugh too hard, “Steve realized what Natasha meant by ‘Rocky Mountain Oysters’ and turned the exact color of the Ironman suit!”

Darcy snorted as several couples around them eyed them disapprovingly. “That may be the nastiest thing Natasha’s ever done to Steve and you just let him!?”

“Yeah, like I was going to miss Cap eating bull testicles!”

“I can’t believe she did that… Ok, I can totally believe it… But EW!”

“That was nothing compared to Cap’s reaction when he figured it out. I’m pretty sure he’d repressed the urge to puke since he became Mr. Stars and Stripes but he barely made it to the sink. Stark almost couldn’t breathe.”

“I can’t” Darcy said, struggling for air, “believe I missed that.”

Clint smiled back at her, admiring the way her face moved when she laughed. Her hair had almost turned the color of honey in the sun and the effect took his breath away. He reached out and took her wrist in his hand, laughing along with her. He wasn’t sure the two of them had ever had a more blissful moment.

When Darcy settled down from her second giggle fit of the day, she asked Clint how things had really been going since she’d flown back to London. It’d only been about three weeks, but she knew from the snippets Jane had been sharing, that things weren’t going so well in New York. Thor was off planet, he’d taken Loki back to Asgard, and things had suddenly become very complicated with SHIELD. Apparently the American people weren’t all that fond of a bunch of costumed “do-gooders” destroying half of New York City in a matter of hours. Of course no one focused on the whole aliens-would-have-destroyed-it-anyway argument, but Darcy knew the American people were really never a bunch that jumped at logic.

“SHIELD isn’t all that popular in D.C, anymore and Fury’s struggling to get the International Security Counsel to cool their jets after Stark intervened with the bomb. They claim Fury overstepped his bounds and the Avengers need someone to answer to that won’t just look the other way. D.C. thinks they need to get a handle on the ‘rampant problem’ the mutants and super humans are causing across the country and I’ve heard rumors there are some senators that want to pass registration legislation but congress moves about as slow as molasses at freezing point so I doubt that’s going to cause problems anytime soon.”

“So things have turned out to go almost exactly the way Stark thought, huh? That sucks. I hate it when Stark's right.”

“You and me both. It’s unnatural.”

“Truth fact, mon frère.”

“Whoah. Quit it with the culture, slick! Plus, I’m not your brother. If I was, what we just did in the shower would only be legal in Tennessee.”

Darcy crinkled her nose at him, shaking her head in sarcasm. He winked in reply. Eventually they paid for their lunch and headed off down the street.

Clint had left his SHIELD issue clothes back in New York, a gesture Darcy hadn’t expected but greatly appreciated. Their entire relationship had existed around the SHIELD missions Clint was assigned to and, when a rare free weekend came up, the plan was so haphazard that Darcy usually ended up leaving behind essentials like a hairbrush or toothpaste and Clint would just grab the first things he could get his hands on, which meant they spent a lot of time together with tangled hair and SHIELD logos on everything. It seemed like, for once, they could be out in public and look like normal people. Plus, without the SHIELD logo, Clint was less likely to attract unwanted attention; a problem they had almost anywhere they went. Even Parisians knew what had happened in New York.

They walked several city blocks hand in hand, blending into their surroundings. No one paid them any attention and, in the crowds of people, they felt completely alone. Darcy inwardly kicked herself for not demanding this weekend happened sooner; this was far better than New York had been.

Several hours, two croissants, and a few glasses of wine later, Darcy and Clint made their way back to the hotel room. Plenty tipsy and more than a little sleep drunk, they stumbled into their room, not even bothering to turn on the light. As soon as the door latched behind them, Clint grabbed Darcy’s wrists and pulled her to his chest, burying his face in her hair, his hands resting solidly on her hips. He pulled back just far enough to lean back in and kiss her full on the mouth. She enthusiastically kissed him back, the two of them quickly lost is a flurry of hands, and lips, and hair. The room seemed to heat up unnaturally fast when Clint spun them around and pinned Darcy between him and the door. They stayed there for a lot longer than Darcy would have liked before she pulled away, breathing ragged. She looked up at him, his pupils blown wide, and smiled.

“Thank you,” she whispered, “for coming. I missed you.”

“Thank you for asking.” Clint replied, leaning down and kissing her deeper than before. He picked her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist, and walked them over to the bed. Without hesitation he dropped them both onto the bed, moving down Darcy’s neck until her collar got in the way. He slid his hands up her sides, inching her shirt up with them, Darcy arching her back up toward him to help. He pulled it up over her head and flung it across the room. It smacked comically against the window but neither of them noticed.

A few hours and several more discarded pieces of clothing later, Darcy was splayed across Clint’s chest, her breathing strong and steady in her sleep. Clint’s hand traced patterns up and down her exposed back, too alert to fall asleep but too exhausted to do much else.

It was the sun, more than the gnawing hunger, that woke Darcy up several hours later. She was still splayed across Clint’s chest, their legs tangled together under what few covers were still on the bed. Clint, noticing the change in Darcy’s breathing, moved his hand up to play with her hair.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty. Have a nice nap?”

“Probably the best one in months.” Darcy mumbled.

Clint chuckled, his hand moving down her back and resting just below her waist.

Darcy picked up her head to rest her chin on Clint’s chest. She looked up at him, the sunlight made his eyelashes look like strands of spun gold.

“Can I ask you something?"

“Anything” he replied, closing his eyes.

“What was it like when Loki took control of you?” 

Clint’s hand twitched slightly on her back, but his face remained relaxed. “It was like a whole world of possibilities opened up to me. I knew things because I was shown them. I don’t remember much of it, but I remember the feeling of overwhelming understanding. Why?”

“Because I love y—you idiot, and I wanted to know. I saw what you looked like after and you didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it so I left it alone. That’s all.” Darcy closed her eyes, inwardly panicking that she had said “the L-word” and hoped that Clint had missed it when she tried to tangle it around everything else.

Clint opened his eyes up again, and tapped Darcy on the nose. His ice blue eyes locked with Darcy’s, an urgency there she wasn't expecting. “I love you, too.” And he pulled Darcy up to him, the moment feeling charged with electricity. He kissed her one, twice, three times and rested his forehead against hers. “I have no idea why it took us this long to say that either. I’ve pretty much known it since New Mexico.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything!”

“Because I’m not exactly Mr. Commitment, I didn’t want to freak you out, and there was a giant flame throwing sentient piece of Asgardian armor trying to destroy the town. I didn’t think it was really the right time for something like that. Plus, I was lucky you didn’t taser me on sight!”

Darcy laughed “Fair point. And for what it’s worth, I knew in Denver, but you seemed too preoccupied with the whole 'Natalia's going to India' thing.”

“Well Banner’s unpredictable.”

“Excuses. Natalia is completely capable of taking care of herself.”

“While you’re not wrong, I really think we’ve gotten off topic. I digress. I love you, Darce.”

“You better. I’m worth it. Makeup commercials tell me so.”

“Very funny.” Clint said, laughing out loud. He slid his hand up her back and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her close. “How many hours do we have left?”

“28.”

“Well, we better not waste any of them.” He flipped them over so he was laying on top of Darcy and kissed her fiercely. She arched up into his body, wrapping her arms around him and feeling the need to be closer to him than physics allowed.

* * *

 “I’m sorry we didn’t get to see much of the city.” Clint said, not a drop of actual regret in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m not either.” Darcy replied.

They made their way toward the airport slowly, hand in hand, ignoring the imminent “goodbye” like Natasha ignored basic physical needs. The airport seemed to show up too quickly on the horizon, a building Darcy now violently hated. Clint had a flight back to New York in t-minus two hours and security in Paris was a nightmare. They were running late as it was and there was no way Clint could miss his flight. He had five angry voicemails, each from different member of the team, demanding to know where he was and why he wasn’t answering his phone. Natalia had texted that morning simply to say “ _You’re dead meat_.”

The closer they got to security the stronger Darcy’s grip on Clint’s hand got.

“You know, I’ve never really seen London. I’ll bet I could manage to get away in a couple of weeks to come visit there. That way I can see this flat I keep hearing so much about.” Clint said, setting his bag on the ground next to him.

Darcy looked up at him, her expression distinctly stoic, but her eyes gave her away, They were just a bit too full of liquid for her to be completely at ease with Clint’s imminent departure.

“You’re on. I’m buying you a ticket as soon as I get back.”

Clint nuzzled his face into Darcy’s hair, breathing in the scent of her.

“I love you.” he managed into her hair.

“I know. Me too.” She said, struggling to keep her voice steady.

He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and bent to pick up his bag. “Two weeks. I’ll come see you in London in two weeks.” He squeezed her hand and turned to stand in line to go through security.

Darcy leaned back against the wall, watching Clint as he moved in line. Just before he went through he looked back and winked. _Bye-bye, birdbrain _,__ she thought wryly to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies to my friends from Tennessee... I promise the joke was meant in good humor!!


End file.
